How to Research US Trademarks on the Web

US Trademark Electronic Search System (TESS) contains the records of pending and registered
US trademarks. TESS also includes the records of dead US trademarks since January 1, 1984. TESS
does not include common law, state, or foreign trademarks. The fact that a mark is not present
in the TESS database does not necessarily mean that the mark is not currently being used as
a trademark. The date of last update for TESS is indicated on the search screens. The search
strategies presented in this handout are preliminary and should not be considered comprehensive.
It is strongly suggested that you read all help screens in TESS to learn about additional search
techniques.

If you have any questions regarding the adoption or use of a trademark, it is strongly
recommended that you consult an attorney.

Instructions for Searching the Trademark Electronic Search System (TESS):

3. From the two drop-down menus below Title Field
select Basic Index (combined MP+PM+FM) and Translation Index
(see below).

4. From the drop-down menu below Operator
select OR.

5. From the drop-down menu to the right of Plural
select Yes. Selecting Yes will expand your search to include
s or es endings of words.

6. In both boxes below Search Term type
in your search terms, enclose them in quotation marks, and click Submit Query
(see below).

Search History

Please enter search criteria in the fields below:

Records Returned:

Plural:

Search Term

Title Field

Operator

Search Tips

"Red Dog"

Search terms enclosed in quotation marks are searched as a phrase. For example the search
"Red Dog" will only retrieve trademarks containing the phrase Red
Dog.

This search yields 25 results.

Red AND Dog

Search terms separated by AND retrieve only trademarks containing both
words. For example the search Red AND Dog will only retrieve trademarks
containing both words Red and Dog.

This search yields 33 results.

****Avoid using a space or OR
between your search terms****

Red Dog

Red OR Dog

Search terms separated by a space or by an OR will
retrieve any

trademark containing either or both words. The results will be very broad and imprecise.

This search yields 8560 results.

Run searches on "unique" words by themselves.

"Zapps Potato Chips" Yields 0 results

Zapps AND Potato AND Chips Yields 0 results

Zapps Yields 28 trademarks

Search multiple combinations of hyphenated or compound words.

"stop-n-go" Yields 2 results

"stop n go" Yields 10 results

"stopngo" Yields 0 results

stop AND go Yields 44 results

Search other spellings of words that sound the same, but are spelled differently.

Quick, qwik, quik, kwik, kwick qwick, etc.

Bear, bayer, bare, etc.

Search for synonyms of words.

Quick, fast, speedy, etc.

Results

7. After submitting your query, a list of trademarks matching
your search parameters will appear on the screen. Click on the Serial Number
of each trademark to view detailed information.

Serial Number

Reg. Number

Word Mark

Live/Dead Indicator

1

75582868

RED DAWG BOOTS

DEAD

2

75786457

RED DOG

LIVE

3

75392564

2265658

RED DOG RULES

LIVE

4

75266486

2171067

RED DOGS

LIVE

5

75247494

2237412

RED DOG GARNET

LIVE

6

74645443

RED DAWG LEATHER

DEAD

7

74641583

2169830

RED DOG

LIVE

8. When looking at the detailed information of a trademark
(see below) pay special attention to the GOODS AND SERVICES field. Goods and
Services describe how a trademark is used in commerce and based on this description, you will
need to decide whether or not your idea for a trademark is too similar. Dead trademarks are
no longer registered with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, but it may be wise
to determine if a dead mark is still used in commerce (contact the owner) because common law
rights to a trademark could come into play.

Word Mark

RED DOGS

Goods and Services

IC 041. US 100 101 107. G & S: entertainment services, namely, organizing and
conducting professional football games for live audiences, television and radio
broadcast and videotape replay. FIRST USE: 19961201. FIRST USE IN COMMERCE: 19961201

9. To return to the list of results, from the detailed view
of the trademark, hold [Alt] and press the "left arrow key", or click the "Back" button in your
browser.

10. To do additional searches of TESS, employing the techniques
mentioned above, start over at step 1.

Common Law and State Trademarks

Additionally, you may want to spend the time researching common law and state trademarks.
Business directories can be searched for company names that may already be in use (under common
law). A few key business directories are listed below:

Individual states also grant trademarks, which offer protection in the granting state. Trademarks
registered with the State of Florida can be researched via the Florida Division of Corporations'
Public Access Web Database http://sunbiz.org/search.html
.

Logos

Every logo that is registered by the USPTO is assigned a numerical code based on each significant
graphical component that comprises that logo. Design code can be determined using the USPTO's
Trademark Design Code Manual, Patents T223.V15 1990 or
http://www.uspto.gov/tmdb/dscm/index.html.

Read the introduction and general guidelines in the Design Code Manual to learn how
to use it. Once you've determined your design code, do a Structured Form Search
in TESS. Type in your design code in the box below Search Term, from the drop-down
menu below Title Field select Design Code, and then click
Submit Query.